Lifting the Haze
by Brandishing No.2 Pencils
Summary: There is more to know with the past, strength, calm and innocence of the four childhood friends originating from the Fire Nation. Featuring 'My Past does not define me' quote.


**Author's note:** I don't need any introductions for this...

* * *

_My past..._

Zuko was always the weak one, the disposable child, and because of that, he lost everything.

It started out as a sharp prick, like a silver needle had lightly pierced the sole of his foot, when he had heard that his dear cousin was taken by the evil friend of War, Death. Lu Ten was the only other male in the palace that he could actually interact and hang out with. His sister had Mai and Ty Lee, while he had only his Uncle Iroh's son, the supposed heir to the throne. It was then that Zuko realized, that the next one who would get the throne...would be him. Either his father or his uncle would become Fire Lord, the honor of becoming the ruler of the nation was his to take.

Now the silver needle lodged itself deeper, ending up in Zuko's heart, when his own mother left. Azula had said that Ozai had planned to kill him, and on the same night when he heard the news from his sister's mouth, Ursa came. She had said that Zuko must never forget who he was, no matter how things may change. The next morning, he woke up and tried to find his beloved mother, not knowing whether he would see her again.

A few years later, the needle hurt the very essence of his soul.

His own father scarred his face, stripped him of his birthright, and banished him, forcing to Zuko to 'fight for his honor' by finding the Avatar and capturing the prize to regain his father's love and approval. Zuko did not really desire the power of being the Fire Lord, but that position was rightfully his. And he was dishonored, not because he did something wrong, but rather because he did something right. He refused to view people as expendable, and even as he spoke out in that war meeting against the general, he knew that the newly-recruited soldiers in the division are valuable. Zuko did not believe that the said soldiers are unworthy.

But instead of respect, he was branded as a pitiful excuse of a prince.

—

_...does not define me._

The Firelord sat down, and closed his eyes. He had never dreamed of this day coming. He had thought that he would spend the rest of his life in exile.

He yearned to be a prince, and he ended up as the Fire Lord.

Destiny is indeed a funny thing.

He thought that he will come out victorious by capturing the Avatar, but he won when he had joined Aang, his friend. He did not let his 'I-don't-need-any-calming-tea-I-need-to-capture-th e-Avatar!' instincts take over, although Ozai had imprinted it on him.

He remembered the weak kid that knelt before his father, on the day of a certain Agni Kai. He felt the pain. But that was the day that changed his life forever.

Even as he stared at the mirror, after the moments of the fire duel, he saw an angry kid, with most of his hair burnt that he had to shave it off. He saw a red mark on his left eye, signaling the birth of a monster. And when he covered his left side using his shaking hand, he saw his unmarred right side. It was the spitting young image of his father.

But now, on his coronation, it made him rethink of the past events. He got the scar, not because he did something wrong, but rather because he did something right. It was a mark of a good man. His choices and decisions defined him.

He felt the five-pronged flame that was placed onto his topknot by the fire sage.

It was official.

Fire Lord Zuko's weakness has become his strength.

His struggles are part of his legacy, and though part of his past, he knew that born with it... was the power to restore balance to the world, for the better future.

* * *

_My strength..._

A prodigy. A princess. A perfect life...

Or so she thought.

Azula was a master of firebending at a very young age. She even set up a higher bar by creating blue fire from her fingertips. She was able to perform incredible acrobatic feats, and she was not afraid of anything. Fear itself obeyed her every merciless command.

Her pathetic brother can never reach her. The dumb Avatar had no chance against her. The strategies and plans she makes are impeccable. Even her own father was impressed by her skills, and he was ultimately hard to impress.

She is resourceful. She was always the leader. She will always get the higher position.

She can manipulate the chessboard to her advantage with a few moves.

—

_...is an illusion._

She was that flawless and cruel, but her own strong mind was turned against her.

By her own mother. And Azula's friends that had abandoned her like garbage.

Chained to the drains by the Water Tribe peasant, she broke down. She isn't so powerful anymore. The real princess inside was sleeping.

Her once beautiful hair stuck to her tear-speckled face. They say that the hair was a person's crown of glory, but in her case, it represented a dunce cap, signaling her downfall.

As she breathed fire at the water in front of her, she saw her mother... and a strong woman that eerily looks familiar. It looked like Azula, but this one is confident.

A drop of water destroyed the image, revealing an insane girl, crying like a puny baby.

'How weak!' she thought crazily, staring at her pitiful reflection. 'YOU ARE BANISHED, WOMAN!'

The wind blew across the water. The mirage had been broken, uncovering the true nature of the princess. A warm hand touched her shoulder. She looked at it angrily. And she heard voices.

"Zuko! Don't—" cried the Water Tribe peasant.

"Azula..." whispered a familiar male voice.

She glanced at her brother's face, and she looked down on the wound at his chest. Zuko clutched it, showing that he was in pain. But Azula, being the people person that she is, saw pity in her brother's eyes. But to her, that pity was mockery.

"Leave me ALONE!" she ordered, but she did not unleash any fire.

Zuko made a sudden movement, and the princess tensed and closed her bloodshot eyes, thinking he was going to kill her.

And when she opened her eyes, she was shocked.

She was wrapped in her brother's arms. Zuko had embraced her. She made no movement. Her tears made a river of regrets. Azula remembered the last time Zuko hugged her, twelve years ago. It was affectionate.

She hadn't realized how battle-hardened she had become, and how easily her tough shell had been broken.

It was then that she realized, that she was at battle with her own mind. It was the dominating and ruling princess...versus the girl that secretly yearned for a mother's love.

* * *

_My calm..._

She was well-behaved. After all, she was a perfect daughter. The only child for many years.

She was forbidden to have fun, because her parents thought that she might make a mess out of anything. She was controlled, because she might turn into a mischievous and juvenile delinquent.

But make no mistake. Her parents loved her and gave her everything she wants. She was happy at first with the rewards. All she had to do was ask and she'll have it. But she miscalculated the price, for the price was her complacency.

Mai cannot make her own decisions when she was young. She was molded by her mother to become prim and proper at every second of the day. Neat hair, sophisticated attitude, and refined features were burned into her mind.

As she grew up, she became bored. Her voice became monotoned, like a robot.

With nothing else to do in her room, she threw a paintbrush at the wall. It was a display of a little act of rebellion. She glanced nonchalantly at the paintbrush she had thrown, and had she not been thought how to control her emotions, her face would have been contorted in surprise.

The wooden end of the painting tool stuck at the hard wall. Mai hadn't realized how hard she had thrown it. She got another one and threw it again, but this time, the paintbrush just bounced of the wall, not even making a dent.

—

_...hides a storm._

Mai was persistent. In one hand, she held three paintbrushes. Staring focusedly at the blank wall, she marked in her mind where she wanted the paintbrushes to stick. She flicked her wrists, and the tools pierced the wood, glued exactly in the place Mai wanted them.

By day, she acted all placid and perfect-looking. However, at night, she released her disgust with the life shoved upon her. One night, she got her favorite hair pin, a golden piece of accessory with exquisite designs, from her dresser. She had asked her parents to buy her that thing a few years back, in exchange for her never-dwindling obedience. But now, she stared at it angrily. She went to her bedroom window, and glaring at the city of Omashu below her, she extended her hand and sent the pin flying directly at the wheel of a traveling cabbage cart. She saw the man moving it howl in anger, yelling "MY CABBAGE CART!" towards the sky. Mai knew that the pin hit its mark.

She was saved from the bleak place of Omashu by Azula.

Mai was no idiot. She dared not defy the princess' orders during the journey. Her face was a mask as she travelled with her old friends.

Later on, she was reunited with her own childhood sweetheart, Zuko. And her passion was put to the test during their relationship, at a certain beach.

She was the direct contrast against her boyfriend's high-strung personality,always expressing himself. When Zuko was not angry at anything in particular, he was angry at himself. But Mai remained immobile, until Zuko urged her to express herself.

She did, and she although she was mad at Zuko for criticizing her, she was surprised when he acknowledged her for letting her feelings spill out. The prince was the first person to do that. Even her parents did not do that to her.

She became a bit more expressive to meet her boyfriend's expectations. The result was that Zuko loved her more than ever, no matter how small her emotional improvement was.

But on the day of the Black Sun, she was heartbroken.

He left her. And all she gets is a scrap of paper from him.

The next time they meet, Zuko was a traitor to his nation. She confronted him, but he claimed that he was protecting her. And then he locked her in the interrogation cell.

'Quite an exaggerated way of protection,' Mai thought, as she glared defiantly at her boyfriend's eyes.

As soon as she escaped, she saw the Fire Nation soldiers cutting the line holding the gondola.

'I like it when you express yourself,' Zuko once said.

Mai hardened her resolve. She attacked the soldiers and saved the stupid jerk who dumped her. She glared one last time at the gondola, and awaited Azula's scolding. Mai feared the princess, but she loved Zuko more, and she will slap it as hard as she want against Azula's face.

She had enough.

She will not waste her life being ordered around like a puppet anymore.

She raised a stiletto as Azula prepared to strike her with lightning.

But Mai's angry interior was more scary than lightning. From then on, she will be free to do what she knows is right and good for her.

* * *

_My innocence..._

Ty Lee was always a child at heart.

She craved for attention. Being the youngest amongst her siblings, she was not given that luxury. She was terrified of the thought of spending the rest of her life as part of a matched set. So she learned acrobatics, hoping to be realized with that skill. And she ran away to join the circus.

She was an airhead, and she didn't know that she was deemed by some people that way. She was carefree, and bubbly. She likes every boy she sees, as long as they are out of her league. But for Ty Lee, everyone was out of her league.

She never told anyone this story, but she was constantly bullied when she went at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. There was one time when several jealous girls wanted to hurt her. Frightened, Ty Lee backed away at a corner. Fortunately, she was saved by Mai, and Azula frightened the bullies away by threatening them with fire.

Azula was a bit more considerate back then, and because of that event, she had blindly followed the princess' orders for she owed what she had to Azula.

But she also owed a debt to Mai that same day.

—

_...is not ignorance._

At the Boiling Rock, she witnessed what an animal her royal friend had become.

Azula had wanted Zuko to die, and although Ty Lee did not show it, she cared for the former prince.

At the standoff between her two closest friends, she realized that she had paid her debt to Azula. She paid it more than enough. She was only being held by her fear of disobeying the princess. As a friend, it wouldn't have mattered. However, Ty Lee was already being treated like a servant.

'She miscalculated the price of my friendship,' Ty Lee thought shakily.

She watched as Azula extended her arm, about to end Mai's life with lightning—

It is time to repay her debt to her other friend.

Ty Lee moved quickly, and struck Azula's pressure points, effectively paralyzing her.

She gasped at surprise at what she did.

As Azula glared at her one last time, Ty Lee remembered when the princess stated once towards the Earth King how it hurts when you can't trust the ones closest to you. Mai's emotionless mask and Ty Lee's smiles protected them from Azula's ability to distinguish possible problems in the future, and the princess was betrayed by the ones closest to her.

Ty Lee may look naive, but she knows how to act at the proper time.


End file.
